Rick Owens and Aesop’s Collaboration Is Perfectly Spicy, and Other News

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Rick Owens and Aesop’s Collaboration Is Perfectly Spicy

Unlikely pairings often yield delightfully unexpected results, especially when both parties are steadfast in their convictions. Such is the case with Australian skincare brand Aesop and fashion icon Rick Owens—two powerhouses that recently joined forces for a limited-run collection that embodies their shared thoughtful approach and nonconformism. 

Anchoring the new offerings is a fragrance called Stoic, developed with perfumer Barnabé Fillion, which balances spicy aromas evocative of Owens’s garments with Aesop’s nature-infused Frankincense. (It also comes with a chain of ceramic beads that can be scented and diffused throughout the day.) The like-minded travel kit, meanwhile, features Coriander Seed Body Cleanser, Resolute Hydrating Body Balm, Classic Shampoo, and Classic Conditioner, and is adorned with an organic cotton wrap and dual grosgrain strip—both Owens signatures. The Aromatique Candle, available in three sizes, comes in sleek ceramic vessels inspired by Constantin Brancusi and Hans Arp, unleashing a muted dance of light and shadow anywhere it’s lit. 

If the collection feels like a pleasant study in contrasts, that’s because the two parties have long shared a mutual admiration for one another. Owens, in particular, has used Aesop’s hair and body care products exclusively for years. “I’m not sure if It was my body responding to the quiet and gentle aesthetics of their ethos as a company,” he says, “but Aesop’s balms represented a soothing mood that I wanted to continue seamlessly throughout my home life and my travel life.”

A writer’s world travels inform the eccentric interiors of Madrid’s Torcuato restaurant. 

Crowing Madrid’s ABC Serrano commercial center, formerly the headquarters of the ABC newspaper and Blanco y Negro magazine, Torcuato restaurant and bar is making waves for its eccentric, over-the-top style. Decorator Pepe Leal and chef Sergio Fernánde used the peripatetic late writer Torcuato Luca de Tena for inspiration when conceiving the globally influenced interiors and menu. With a diversity of references ranging from neo-17th century to Granadan and French classicism to Art Deco, Leal fashioned each room with its own idiosyncratic look and feel. At any given turn patrons might encounter a neon waterfall lighting fixture, pastel-and-gold fresco, or hand-painted mural in the two dining rooms and on the rooftop terrace. [H/T Frame] 

The Memphis Airport sparks backlash for removing a self-portrait of artist Tommy Kha.

“A public artwork by Asian American photographer Tommy Kha has been unceremoniously removed from the Memphis International Airport in response to complaints from visitors. The artwork, a performative self-portrait, depicts the artist dressed as Memphis icon Elvis Presley. Commissioned by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), it was installed in the facility’s new B concourse in February. But this week, Kha—who was born in Memphis and has long had an interest in the iconography of Elvis—took to social media to note that the artwork was no longer on display.” —[H/T ArtNet News]

Bulgari unveils the Octo Finissimo Ultra Watch, the world’s new thinnest timepiece. 

“Bulgari has been setting world records throughout the past decade, but this newest one—the 8th world record timepiece for the brand—shatters all the other records. The newest Octo Finissimo Ultra watch is the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. It measures just 1.8mm thick (the entire cased watch, not just the movement—meaning that it is just slightly thicker than the very thin American dime.” —[H/T Forbes]

Hollywood will receive its first-ever creative campus, a mixed-use complex by HKS.

“Architecture firm HKS and landscape designer Hood Design Studio have been selected by global entertainment and media company CMNTY Culture to design a new creative campus in the heart of Hollywood. Dubbed CMNTY Culture Campus, the project will feature production spaces, offices, performance venues, bringing together creative industries in a 500,000-square-foot development. The project comes as a response to the changes taking place in the entertainment industry, where there’s new opportunities to reimagine the landscape where content is created and consumed.” —[H/T ArchDaily]

RIBA will match Ukrainian students and professionals with job opportunities in the UK.

“RIBA has said it will use its existing jobs platform to match architects and architecture students fleeing the conflict in Ukraine with opportunities in the UK. The move follows a call last week from the institute’s former international vice-president Chris Williamson for professionals with spare rooms in their homes to consider offering accommodation to architecture students displaced by the Russian invasion.” —[H/T Building Design]

Today’s attractive distractions:

We’ve been underestimating the sugary power of sprinkles to evoke simpler times. 

Neuroscientists can now watch memories form in real time within the brains of fish. 

Thanks to Zoom’s animal avatars, we may never show our face in meetings again.

Volkswagen commits to a billion-dollar plan to expand its lineup of electric vehicles.